MILPITAS, Calif., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Creative Technology
Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF), the worldwide leader in audio with over 250 million
Sound Blaster(R) sound cards sold to date, today announced the future of audio
with the introduction of its highly anticipated Sound Blaster X-Fi(TM) line of
sound cards. Powered by the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity(TM) audio
processor, the Sound Blaster X-Fi cards introduce Xtreme Fidelity, an entirely
new audio standard for music, movies and games.
"On May 12th of this year, we introduced the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity
audio processor and the Xtreme Fidelity audio standard, and the response has
been phenomenal. People have been contacting us from all over the world
wanting to know when they can experience Xtreme Fidelity with MP3 music and
games from a Sound Blaster sound card. We gave a sneak preview at e3 in Los
Angeles, and the crowds were in awe when they heard the difference that Xtreme
Fidelity makes," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. "We're
addressing all the excitement in time for the holidays with the introduction
of the Sound Blaster X-Fi family of ultra high performance sound cards that
can dramatically enhance any music or audio, accelerate gaming, and provide an
amazing headphone experience. With Sound Blaster X-Fi's 24-bit Crystalizer(TM)
and CMSS(R)-3D technologies, all your MP3 music and CD music can sound even
better than the original studio recording. The CMSS-3D Headphone Expander
technology will blow you away. You will think that you are listening to a
super high quality surround speaker system, as the sound will seem to come
from external speakers instead of headphones pressing right against your
ears."
"Sound Blaster X-Fi heralds the beginning of a new epoch in audio, where
X-Fi enabled audio products will eventually and completely replace the old hi-
fi equipment in the home," continued Sim. "With the arsenal of high-end audio
products, technologies and intellectual properties that Creative owns, you can
expect Creative to release more and more audio product lines that support this
new Xtreme Fidelity audio standard."
Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
The Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro features professional-quality digital-to-
analog converters (DACs) with 116dB SNR, plus an I/O module with a
comprehensive selection of connectivity for audio creation with easy-to-use
control knobs for the X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer, X-Fi CMSS- 3D (Creative Multi-
Speaker Surround), 3DMIDI, and EAX. The Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro also
features 64MB of on-board X-RAM-- audio memory dedicated to higher gaming
audio quality and performance, in addition to a built-in pre-amp for direct
recording, and high-impedance inputs for electric guitars. The "top of the
line" Sound Blaster X-Fi solution, the Elite Pro includes all of the standard
features, application software, power and performance capabilities of the
entire family of Sound Blaster X-Fi cards (described below), in one ultimate
solution.
Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
Designed to meet the performance demands of the world's best-known
professional gamer, Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, the Sound Blaster X-Fi
Fatal1ty(TM) FPS sound card provides stunning 109dB SNR audio quality,
accelerates gaming performance and includes 64MB of on-board X-RAM for high
performance gaming. With support for EAX(R) ADVANCED HD(TM) 5.0, the latest
version of the EAX Environmental Audio standard, the Sound Blaster X-Fi
Fatal1ty FPS card utilizes X-Fi CMSS 3D technology for stunning audio realism
over headphones in LAN gaming. The Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS features a
convenient front-facing internal drive bay for easy connectivity, plus the X-
Fi IR remote to easily access and control all digital entertainment, and to
control the X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer, X-Fi CMSS 3D, 3DMIDI and EAX. In
addition to providing outstanding gaming performance, the Sound Blaster X-Fi
Fatal1ty FPS includes all of the standard features, application software,
power and performance capabilities of the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum and
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music.
Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
The ideally versatile sound card to suit all digital entertainment
experiences, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum sound card includes an internal
drive bay with additional, convenient front-facing input/output connectivity
for headphone listening, PC gaming and audio creation. Delivering 109dB SNR
audio quality, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum includes the X-Fi IR remote,
for easy access to the Entertainment Center software console, which enables
access to music, movies and picture slide shows through a slick, streamlined
interface. The Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum also includes all of the standard
features, application software, power and performance capabilities of the
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music.
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
The Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card harnesses the full power of
the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor to upgrade any existing
library of MP3 or any music files to the Xtreme Fidelity audio standard. With
the X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity 24-bit Crystalizer, MP3 music and movies are
converted to Xtreme Fidelity, which deliver an experience beyond the original
CD or DVD recordings. With the included Creative MediaSource(TM) 3 software
suite, users can easily SuperRip(TM) all their digital music permanently to
Xtreme Fidelity. In addition, MediaSource 3 also allows users to further
enhance their music content with single-click access to rich features like X-
Fi CMSS-3D, Smart Cross-Fade and Smart Volume Management. The Sound Blaster
X-Fi Xtreme Music sound card plays back audio with rich 109dB SNR quality.
Optimized Modes for Peak X-Fi Performance
Each Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card can direct its power to any of three
key modes that are optimized for experiences with music and movie playback, PC
gaming or music creation. Each mode is configured to dynamically dedicate the
processor's power to deliver only the features, quality and capabilities that
the user requires.
Entertainment Mode
The Entertainment Mode accesses the X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer, which is
driven by the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor. The processor
converts audio to 24-bit/96kHz quality using its 136dB virtually transparent
SRC (Sample Rate Converter) engine. Then it re-masters and selectively
enhances the audio by analyzing and identifying which parts of the audio
stream have been restricted or damaged during the dynamic compression stages
to 16-bit and then the data compression stage to MP3 or WMA formats. For
music, low and high frequencies are enhanced while dynamics are improved, for
cleaner, richer sound. For movies, explosions, gunshots and high-impact audio
sequences sound more realistic than ever before.
In the Entertainment Mode, X-Fi CMSS-3D technology leverages the power of
the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor to intelligently upmix audio
into surround sound. It also uses advanced techniques to extract specific
audio elements, like voice to the center channel and ambience to the
surrounding channels.
Gaming Mode
The gaming mode accelerates PC game play. A completely re-engineered game
audio processing engine utilizing the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio
processor enables the Sound Blaster X-Fi cards to deliver a very impressive
and critical performance boost of up to 40 percent in some cases during game
play while simultaneously delivering full audio enhancement effects.
The Creative X-Fi CMSS-3D feature delivers amazingly realistic game audio
over headphones. EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 provides support for an unprecedented
128 voices using the X-Fi processor's hardware, utilizing EAX MacroFX, EAX
PurePath and Environment FlexiFX technologies to provide a new standard of
audio realism in games. The X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer automatically upgrades
existing games to the Xtreme Fidelity audio standard.
Audio Creation Mode
The Audio Creation capabilities of the Sound Blaster X-Fi cards surpass
the performance of many professional solutions. The Sound Blaster X-Fi
utilizes the transparent SRC engine in the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio
processor to convert to and from any resolution at 136dB THD+N. It also
provides digital-matched recording capabilities in resolutions from 44.1kHz to
96kHz. Musicians who utilize the Audio Creation Mode offered in each Sound
Blaster X-Fi card can enjoy ASIO recording with latency as low as one
millisecond with no CPU load, up to eight different 24-bit hardware effects,
24-bit SoundFont(R) sampling, and 3DMIDI.
Xtreme Fidelity Driven by the Power of X-Fi
Xtreme Fidelity sets a new standard for audio by supporting a combination
of 24-bit quality, stunning audio clarity with a minimum of 109db SNR and up
to 116dB in the X-Fi Elite Pro version, and the CMSS 3D headphone and surround
speaker technology. To achieve the Xtreme Fidelity audio standard, Sound
Blaster X-Fi cards draw immense power from the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity
processor, which includes more than 51 million transistors, and is capable of
more than 10,000 MIPS. With 24 times more power than the previous Sound
Blaster Audigy(R) audio processor, the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio
processor utilizes multiple engines to dynamically direct resources through a
unique Ring Architecture to completely change the way audio is managed for any
application.
Pricing and Availability
The Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro, priced at US$399.99, the Sound Blaster
X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS, priced at US$279.99, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum,
priced at US$199.99 and the Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic, priced at
US$129.99, will be available this month at Best Buy.
For more information about Xtreme Fidelity, the Creative X-Fi Xtreme
Fidelity audio processor, and Creative's line of Sound Blaster X-Fi sound
cards, visit www.soundblaster.com.
About Creative
Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC
users. Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the
multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC
platform with products like its highly acclaimed Zen(TM) and MuVo(R) MP3
players. Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications
and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-
quality digital entertainment -- anytime, anywhere.
This announcement relates to products launched in the United States. The
product names, prices and availability are subject to change without notice
and may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and
requirements. Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster X-Fi, Creative X-Fi, Xtreme
Fidelity, EAX, ADVANCED HD, CMSS, 24-bit Crystalizer, SuperRip, Media Source,
SoundFont, Zen and MuVo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Creative
Technology Ltd. in the United States and other countries. Fatal1ty is a
trademark of Fatal1ty Inc. and is used under license. All other brand names
are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Creative

MILPITAS, Calif., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Creative Technology
Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF), the worldwide leader in audio with over 250 million
Sound Blaster(R) sound cards sold to date, today announced the future of audio
with the introduction of its highly anticipated Sound Blaster X-Fi(TM) line of
sound cards. Powered by the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity(TM) audio
processor, the Sound Blaster X-Fi cards introduce Xtreme Fidelity, an entirely
new audio standard for music, movies and games.
"On May 12th of this year, we introduced the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity
audio processor and the Xtreme Fidelity audio standard, and the response has
been phenomenal. People have been contacting us from all over the world
wanting to know when they can experience Xtreme Fidelity with MP3 music and
games from a Sound Blaster sound card. We gave a sneak preview at e3 in Los
Angeles, and the crowds were in awe when they heard the difference that Xtreme
Fidelity makes," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. "We're
addressing all the excitement in time for the holidays with the introduction
of the Sound Blaster X-Fi family of ultra high performance sound cards that
can dramatically enhance any music or audio, accelerate gaming, and provide an
amazing headphone experience. With Sound Blaster X-Fi's 24-bit Crystalizer(TM)
and CMSS(R)-3D technologies, all your MP3 music and CD music can sound even
better than the original studio recording. The CMSS-3D Headphone Expander
technology will blow you away. You will think that you are listening to a
super high quality surround speaker system, as the sound will seem to come
from external speakers instead of headphones pressing right against your
ears."
"Sound Blaster X-Fi heralds the beginning of a new epoch in audio, where
X-Fi enabled audio products will eventually and completely replace the old hi-
fi equipment in the home," continued Sim. "With the arsenal of high-end audio
products, technologies and intellectual properties that Creative owns, you can
expect Creative to release more and more audio product lines that support this
new Xtreme Fidelity audio standard."
Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
The Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro features professional-quality digital-to-
analog converters (DACs) with 116dB SNR, plus an I/O module with a
comprehensive selection of connectivity for audio creation with easy-to-use
control knobs for the X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer, X-Fi CMSS- 3D (Creative Multi-
Speaker Surround), 3DMIDI, and EAX. The Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro also
features 64MB of on-board X-RAM-- audio memory dedicated to higher gaming
audio quality and performance, in addition to a built-in pre-amp for direct
recording, and high-impedance inputs for electric guitars. The "top of the
line" Sound Blaster X-Fi solution, the Elite Pro includes all of the standard
features, application software, power and performance capabilities of the
entire family of Sound Blaster X-Fi cards (described below), in one ultimate
solution.
Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
Designed to meet the performance demands of the world's best-known
professional gamer, Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, the Sound Blaster X-Fi
Fatal1ty(TM) FPS sound card provides stunning 109dB SNR audio quality,
accelerates gaming performance and includes 64MB of on-board X-RAM for high
performance gaming. With support for EAX(R) ADVANCED HD(TM) 5.0, the latest
version of the EAX Environmental Audio standard, the Sound Blaster X-Fi
Fatal1ty FPS card utilizes X-Fi CMSS 3D technology for stunning audio realism
over headphones in LAN gaming. The Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS features a
convenient front-facing internal drive bay for easy connectivity, plus the X-
Fi IR remote to easily access and control all digital entertainment, and to
control the X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer, X-Fi CMSS 3D, 3DMIDI and EAX. In
addition to providing outstanding gaming performance, the Sound Blaster X-Fi
Fatal1ty FPS includes all of the standard features, application software,
power and performance capabilities of the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum and
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music.
Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
The ideally versatile sound card to suit all digital entertainment
experiences, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum sound card includes an internal
drive bay with additional, convenient front-facing input/output connectivity
for headphone listening, PC gaming and audio creation. Delivering 109dB SNR
audio quality, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum includes the X-Fi IR remote,
for easy access to the Entertainment Center software console, which enables
access to music, movies and picture slide shows through a slick, streamlined
interface. The Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum also includes all of the standard
features, application software, power and performance capabilities of the
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music.
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
The Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card harnesses the full power of
the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor to upgrade any existing
library of MP3 or any music files to the Xtreme Fidelity audio standard. With
the X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity 24-bit Crystalizer, MP3 music and movies are
converted to Xtreme Fidelity, which deliver an experience beyond the original
CD or DVD recordings. With the included Creative MediaSource(TM) 3 software
suite, users can easily SuperRip(TM) all their digital music permanently to
Xtreme Fidelity. In addition, MediaSource 3 also allows users to further
enhance their music content with single-click access to rich features like X-
Fi CMSS-3D, Smart Cross-Fade and Smart Volume Management. The Sound Blaster
X-Fi Xtreme Music sound card plays back audio with rich 109dB SNR quality.
Optimized Modes for Peak X-Fi Performance
Each Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card can direct its power to any of three
key modes that are optimized for experiences with music and movie playback, PC
gaming or music creation. Each mode is configured to dynamically dedicate the
processor's power to deliver only the features, quality and capabilities that
the user requires.
Entertainment Mode
The Entertainment Mode accesses the X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer, which is
driven by the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor. The processor
converts audio to 24-bit/96kHz quality using its 136dB virtually transparent
SRC (Sample Rate Converter) engine. Then it re-masters and selectively
enhances the audio by analyzing and identifying which parts of the audio
stream have been restricted or damaged during the dynamic compression stages
to 16-bit and then the data compression stage to MP3 or WMA formats. For
music, low and high frequencies are enhanced while dynamics are improved, for
cleaner, richer sound. For movies, explosions, gunshots and high-impact audio
sequences sound more realistic than ever before.
In the Entertainment Mode, X-Fi CMSS-3D technology leverages the power of
the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor to intelligently upmix audio
into surround sound. It also uses advanced techniques to extract specific
audio elements, like voice to the center channel and ambience to the
surrounding channels.
Gaming Mode
The gaming mode accelerates PC game play. A completely re-engineered game
audio processing engine utilizing the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio
processor enables the Sound Blaster X-Fi cards to deliver a very impressive
and critical performance boost of up to 40 percent in some cases during game
play while simultaneously delivering full audio enhancement effects.
The Creative X-Fi CMSS-3D feature delivers amazingly realistic game audio
over headphones. EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 provides support for an unprecedented
128 voices using the X-Fi processor's hardware, utilizing EAX MacroFX, EAX
PurePath and Environment FlexiFX technologies to provide a new standard of
audio realism in games. The X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer automatically upgrades
existing games to the Xtreme Fidelity audio standard.
Audio Creation Mode
The Audio Creation capabilities of the Sound Blaster X-Fi cards surpass
the performance of many professional solutions. The Sound Blaster X-Fi
utilizes the transparent SRC engine in the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio
processor to convert to and from any resolution at 136dB THD+N. It also
provides digital-matched recording capabilities in resolutions from 44.1kHz to
96kHz. Musicians who utilize the Audio Creation Mode offered in each Sound
Blaster X-Fi card can enjoy ASIO recording with latency as low as one
millisecond with no CPU load, up to eight different 24-bit hardware effects,
24-bit SoundFont(R) sampling, and 3DMIDI.
Xtreme Fidelity Driven by the Power of X-Fi
Xtreme Fidelity sets a new standard for audio by supporting a combination
of 24-bit quality, stunning audio clarity with a minimum of 109db SNR and up
to 116dB in the X-Fi Elite Pro version, and the CMSS 3D headphone and surround
speaker technology. To achieve the Xtreme Fidelity audio standard, Sound
Blaster X-Fi cards draw immense power from the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity
processor, which includes more than 51 million transistors, and is capable of
more than 10,000 MIPS. With 24 times more power than the previous Sound
Blaster Audigy(R) audio processor, the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio
processor utilizes multiple engines to dynamically direct resources through a
unique Ring Architecture to completely change the way audio is managed for any
application.
Pricing and Availability
The Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro, priced at US$399.99, the Sound Blaster
X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS, priced at US$279.99, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum,
priced at US$199.99 and the Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic, priced at
US$129.99, will be available this month at Best Buy.
For more information about Xtreme Fidelity, the Creative X-Fi Xtreme
Fidelity audio processor, and Creative's line of Sound Blaster X-Fi sound
cards, visit www.soundblaster.com.
About Creative
Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC
users. Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the
multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC
platform with products like its highly acclaimed Zen(TM) and MuVo(R) MP3
players. Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications
and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-
quality digital entertainment -- anytime, anywhere.
This announcement relates to products launched in the United States. The
product names, prices and availability are subject to change without notice
and may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and
requirements. Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster X-Fi, Creative X-Fi, Xtreme
Fidelity, EAX, ADVANCED HD, CMSS, 24-bit Crystalizer, SuperRip, Media Source,
SoundFont, Zen and MuVo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Creative
Technology Ltd. in the United States and other countries. Fatal1ty is a
trademark of Fatal1ty Inc. and is used under license. All other brand names
are trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Creative